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grabbing for something that will always be out of reach . That futile effort is the essence of anxious energy . The habits we adopt to avoid the unavoidable paradoxically increase anxiety . Avoidance is what charges the fixed reality of loss with the extra destructive energy we expend on worrying , fretting , and fearing . Our brains get trapped in futile loops , trying to do what is impossible . A leading scholar of the brain research on anxiety summarized the field ’ s findings : “ Excessive behavioral and / or cognitive avoidance is a leading hallmark of anxiety disorders .” Put in biblical terms , avoidance is at the core of that “ offensive way ” in our “ anxious thoughts ” described by Psalm 139:24 .
The Anxiety Formula shows us that lowering avoidance is a powerful way to lower anxiety .
Taken from The Anxiety Opportunity by Curtis Chang . Copyright 2023 by Zondervan . Used by permission of Zondervan , www . zondervan . com .
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Curtis Chang is a public theologian and consulting faculty member of Duke Divinity School and a Senior Fellow at Fuller Theological Seminary . Curtis has recently written for the New York Times and Christianity Today and has appeared on CNN , CBS , ABC , NBC , PBS , and NPR ’ s All Things Considered . Curtis is also the cohost of Good Faith , a podcast with New York Times columnist David French . His ministry , speaking , and writing are fueled by a passion to help Christians recognize the surprising authority and relevance of Jesus for parts of life that are often left to the secular world . Benji Tittle , K1 Photography , San Jose , CA .
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